How He-Man Mastered the Universe: Toy to Television to the Big Screen

Elaborate cinematic universes and sophisticated marketing tie-ins are commonplace in entertainment today. It’s easy to forget that the transmedia trend began in 1982 with a barbarian action figure. He-Man and the other characters in Mattel’s popular Masters of the Universe toy line quickly found their way into comic books, video games, multiple television series and a Hollywood film. The original animated series (1983–1985) was the first based on an action figure, and the cult classic Masters of the Universe (1987) was the first toy- inspired live-action feature film.

But it wasn’t easy. He-Man faced adversaries more dangerous than Skeletor: entertainment lawyers, Hollywood executives, even the Reagan administration. The heroes and villains of Eternia did more than shape the childhoods of the toy-buying public—they formed the modern cinematic landscape.

“This book is a wonderfully meticulous exploration into the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe phenomenon! Brian C. Baer has done a fantastic job!”

— JAMES EATOCK, HE-MAN AND SHE-RA: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE CLASSIC ANIMATED ADVENTURES

“How He-Man Mastered the Universeis an entertaining and insightful look into the He-Man franchise and its effect on later media franchises. Essential reading for anyone interested in reading about the evolution of the modern media franchise.”

— JESS NEVINS, THE EVOLUTION OF THE COSTUMED AVENGER: THE 4000-YEAR HISTORY OF THE SUPERHERO

“Finally a comprehensive history of one of the greatest (if not the greatest) action figure line in the history of human civilization! Baer digs deep, and shows the influence of a hero who became much more than 5 inches of plastic.”

— TIM SEELEY, THE ART OF HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE AND REVIVAL

Super7 presents “Skeletor’s Lair – The Curse of the Three Terrors”. More details and announcements about Super7 + MOTU events and exclusives will be made in the coming days as we get closer to San Diego […]

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Information contained on this Fan Forum does not necessarily reflect the views of Mattel, Classic Media, or any other entity. All content associated with "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe," "She-Ra: Princess of Power," "The New Adventures of He-Man" / "He-Man" including, but not limited to, logos, names, pictures of toys and characters are registered trademarks and/or copyrights of Mattel, Classic Media, or their respective trademark and copyright holders.
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